Tuesday, September 11, 2012, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

About the speaker:

Gideon Koren, is the founder and director of the Motherisk Program and professor of Paediatrics, Pharmacology, Pharmacy, and Medical Genetics at the University of Toronto. He is also the Richard and Jean Ivey Chair in Molecular Toxicology in the Schulich School of Medicine, at The University of Western Ontario. Dr. Koren conducts research on drug safety, the molecular mechanisms and clinical effects of adverse drug and chemical reactions, with focus on pregnancy and children. He has received numerous national and international awards. In 2000 Dr. Koren established the FACE (Fetal Alcohol Canadian Expertise) Research Network and in 2002 he created the peer review medical journal, Fetal Alcohol Research.

Message from the Government of Saskatchewan
Hon. June Draude, Minister, Social Services, Saskatchewan.

About the speaker:

June Draude grew up on the family farm in the Spalding area which she credits for her strong work ethic, common sense, and the importance she places upon family and community. June was re-elected three times as a Saskatchewan Party member. The awareness, prevention and diagnosis of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) are extremely important to June. She was awarded the 2005 Woman of Influence Award. In 2007, June was honoured when the Yellow Quill Saulteaux First Nations bestowed on her the title of Honorary Elder for her work with First Nations. Since the Saskatchewan Party became government in 2007, June has held a variety of positions including Minister for First Nations and Métis Relations. June currently serves as the Minister of Social Services, Minister Responsible for the Public Service Commission, the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women and Minister Responsible for FASD. She is a member of the province's Treasury Board and is Chair of the Cabinet Committee for the Children & Youth Agenda.

A message on behalf of the Hon. Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of HealthMarla Israel, Acting Director General, Centre for Health Promotion, Public Health Agency of Canada

Marla Israel is currently the Acting Director General for the Centre for Health Promotion at the Public Health Agency of Canada. Ms. Israel is responsible for overseeing policies and programs related to children and seniors' health, as well as the physical activity, injury prevention and mental health files. Prior to assuming this role, Ms. Israel was Senior Director, Chronic Disease Strategies Division at the Public Health Agency of Canada, responsible for policy development and program management activities related to the prevention and mitigation of cancer, diabetes, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as managing the Grants and Contributions for those programs.

Public Health Agency of Canada - Outline of Activities - Determining the Scope of FASD: Elements of Costs for Health Care and Productivity Losses for Individuals with FASD in Canada
Holly MacKay, FASD Initiative, Public Health Agency of Canada

Synopsis: The presentation will describe PHAC activities related to efforts to determine the overall scope of FASD in Canada. Some elements will include analyses concerning the health care utilization of individuals with a diagnosis of FAS and the associated costs, and will also include the challenges of estimating the scope and costs associated with FASD.

About the Speaker: Holly MacKay is the Team Lead of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Initiative in the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Originally from Brandon, Manitoba, she worked with a variety of community and health organizations in Ottawa prior to joining FASD Team in 2001. She collaborates with stakeholders - regions, national organizations, provinces, territories networks and partnerships - with an aim to developing policies, tools, and resources that address FASD issues in Canada.

About the Speaker: Louise Nadeau, PhD, is the first Chairperson of the Board of the Canadian Foundation on Fetal Alcohol Research. She is a full Professor in the Department of Psychology at the Université de Montréal, Scientific Director of the University Institute on Dependencies, Centre Dollard-Cormier, and associate researcher at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University. Dr. Nadeau's multicentric and transdisciplinary work in substance abuse focuses driving under the influence of alcohol and the prevention of recidivism, gambling and alcohol, co-occurring disorders, and the effect of psychoactive substances on women. She is Chair of the Board of Éduc'alcool, and served as Vice-chair of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Governing Council (2000-2006), and Chair of the Quebec government's Standing Committee on Addictions (1994-2000). She served on the Board of Trustees of ABMRF and serves on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Institute on Neuroscience, Mental Health and Addictions, Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Nadeau was awarded the 2006 prix Marcel-Vincent for her work in the social sciences by ACFAS (the Francophone Association for Knowledge).

Synopsis: This presentation will discuss research on mental health issues among children and adolescents with FASD and prenatal alcohol exposure. Results will be discussed regarding the rates and types of mental health disorders experienced by those with a diagnosis of an FASD and those with prenatal alcohol exposure but who do not meet diagnostic criteria for FASD. The association of environmental factors and service utilization to mental health issues will also be discussed.

About the speaker: Carmen Rasmussen, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta and a Research Affiliate at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, in Edmonton, Alberta. She researches cognitive and behavioural development in children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and evaluation of FASD intervention programs.

Comparison of Spatial Working Memory and Attention in Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Those Diagnosed with ADHD: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study
Krisztina Malisza, PhD, University of Manitoba

Synopsis: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to assess working memory (WM) differences in brain function between children diagnosed with alcohol related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), ADHD and typically developing (TD) controls. Greater activations in the frontal and parietal regions in children diagnosed with ARND compared to controls suggest ARND subjects exert greater effort to manage WM load. While attention problems in ARND are similar to those found in ADHD, differences in fMRI brain activity suggest the similar behaviour and WM performance is the result of different cognitive events that can distinguish between these groups.

About the Speaker: Krisztina Malisza, PhD is affiliated with the Department of Physiology, and the Department of Psychology at the University of Manitoba. For the past nine years she headed a pediatric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research program. The focus of this program was on the development and translation of imaging technology to the clinical setting to enhance the accurate diagnoses of diseases and disorders, with particular emphasis on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and autism spectrum disorders.

An Examination of the Abilities, Risks, and Needs of Adolescents and Young Adults with FASD in the Criminal Justice System
Kaitlyn McLachlan, PhD, University of Alberta

Synopsis: The presentation summarizes findings from a prospective longitudinal study examining the psycho-legal abilities, offending trajectories, risks, and needs of youth with FASD in the justice system. Findings highlight key deficits with regard to adjudicative capacity, as well as important similarities and differences in the justice trajectories and clinical need patterns of youth both with, and without, an FASD diagnosis. Recommendations to inform development of future intervention and management approaches will be offered.

About the Speaker: Kaitlyn McLachlan, PhD, is a Post Doctoral Fellow at the University of Alberta (Department of Pediatrics). She is presently collaborating with NeuroDevNet on the Canadian FASD demonstration project, with special interest in the adverse neurobehavioral and environmental outcomes experienced by individuals with FASD. Her doctoral work in forensic clinical psychology focused on the experiences, abilities, risks, and needs of youth with FASD in the justice system, and she continues to work in this area of research.

Synopsis: This presentation introduces an Indigenous community-based ethical toolkit. Ethical guidelines seek to protect vulnerable individuals from experiencing undue harm resulting from the design, implementation, or termination of a health care initiative. Currently there are no ethical reviews completed by government policy makers and program funders before they introduce "best practice" programming for FASD prevention and interventions into Indigenous communities.

About the Speaker: Caroline Tait, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Tait received her PhD in medical anthropology from McGill University in 2003 and completed post doctoral studies in the Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, McGill University in 2004. She is the recipient of individual and interdisciplinary team grants in areas of FASD prevention, ethics, ethics and child welfare, knowledge translation, Indigenous mental health and addictions, resiliency, and community-based research. She is Métis from MacDowall, Saskatchewan

I Want to Thrive, Not Just Survive! A Multiple Case Study of an Arts-Based Intervention for Adolescents With FASD
Michelle Keightley, PhD, University of Toronto

Synopsis: An arts-based approach was used to develop and implement a social skills intervention for youth with emotional and social difficulties secondary to FASD. Qualitative results revealed that the creative environment supported participants' development of increased self-esteem, social skills and emotional awareness. Quantitative data revealed clinically significant improvements from pre to post-program that was mostly maintained at six months follow-up. The data suggests that an arts-based approach is an engaging social skills tool for youth living with FASD.

About the Speaker: Michelle Keightley, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto, with cross appointments in Rehabilitation Science and Psychology. Dr. Keightley received her B.Sc. (Hons.) in Psychology from Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario and her M.A. and PhD in Psychology, with the Collaborative Program in Neuroscience, from the University of Toronto. Dr. Keightley is a registered Clinical Neuropsychologist in the province of Ontario who provides clinical services to children and youth with acquired brain injury, developmental disorders and FASD.

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